VoicePicker simplifies the use of the speech synthesizer, in particular when reading texts in different languages that require frequent changes of voice.
It is no longer necessary to modify the system preferences:
To read a text, just select it and drop it in the window of VoicePicker on the voice you want.
Or copy the text to read to the clipboard, and then click on the voice you want.

I. All in two pictures

The standard window
This global floating window is always visible, unless another choice has been made in the Preferences or by clicking the Moon/Sun icon.

The window with settings
Settings can be shown or hidden by clicking the gear at the bottom of the window.

II. Choices and options

Using or not using the clipboard Recommended reading!
To read the text, you just have to select it, drag it and drop it on the voice.
However, with some applications, dragging a selected text can be difficult. It is then easier to copy the selection (⌘C) and then to simply click on the voice you want.

Listen now or save as audio file
The current mode is indicated at the bottom of the window by the icon or .Click on that icon to switch from one mode to the other.

Format of the audio files created by the application
The current format is indicated at the bottom of the window with settings: .aiff or .m4a.Click on it (or use the Preferences) to switch from one format to the other.

Visibility Recommended reading!
The window of VoicePicker being constantly visible, must be as unobtrusive as possible. In its standard form (i.e. without the settings) it is already very small.
By clicking on the Moon/Sun icon in the window with settings (or by using the Preferences), you can choose to make it completely invisible:
then, it appears only when the “alt” and “cmd” keys (⌥ and ⌘) are both kept down. (It also remains visible when the settings are displayed).
So, you can prepare the text to read (select, copy or begin to drag), then make the window of the application visible just long enough to drop the text or to click on the voice.

For a comfortable use of VoicePicker Recommended reading!
Suggestion :
- Open the Preferences.
- In the Visibility section, choose visible only when..., then check Clicking the Moon/Sun icon....
- Press the mouse button on the icon of the application in the dock and select Options/Open at Login.
In this way, VoicePicker is always available and appears as soon as both keys are pressed.
To keep the main window visible, click on the Moon/Sun icon.
Avoid closing the application: prefer to click on the Moon/Sun icon to make it invisible.

III. Questions and answers

About the voices of macOS
macOS includes a synthesizer of voice which is able to read texts. For that, it proposes a number of voices for many languages.
However, most of these voices (in particular for non English languages) are not installed by default, or are installed only in their "Compact" form (low quality). They may need to be downloaded.
Downloading a voice is free but may take some time because a voice is a rather heavy file.
To download a system voice• Choose Apple menu/System preferences/Accessibility/Speech*.(If the system version is earlier than Sierra, choose Apple menu/System preferences/Dictation & speech/Text to Speech*.)• In the System voice pop-up menu, select Customize... * (last line).
• In the list that appears, check the name of the voice.
Theses instructions can be displayed in the window of VoicePicker by selecting Other (last line) in any pup-up menu.
Using VoicePicker does not modify the system preferences.

Is it possible to use voices of third party with VoicePicker?
Yes, it is possible to use any voice of third party, provided that this voice is installed on your computer and is recognized by macOS Speech Synthesizer.
Third party voices appear with system voices in the pop-up menus of VoicePicker.

In what order are the voices arranged in the pop-up menus of the application?
Languages are arranged alphabetically.
Within each language, voices are arranged alphabetically.

Why do the menus and the help-tags of VoicePicker often seem to be unavailable?
The window of this application is global floating that is to say, it is always visible and operational even when other applications or windows are used.
As soon as an other application comes to front, for instance when selecting a text to read, it is this application that controls the menus, the pointer shape etc... Under these circumstances the menus and the help-tags of VoicePicker are not available.
To make them available again, just bring VoicePicker to the front by clicking its icon in the dock.

(*) These names may vary according to the language of the system, and also according to its version.